Handle for valve assembly

ABSTRACT

A handle assembly is provided for an outlet valve of a tank car wherein the outlet valve has a valve stem rotatable about an axis and is operative to open and close the outlet valve. The handle assembly includes a valve handle for manually opening the outlet valve, a rotatable shaft coupled to the handle, and a coupling coupled to the outlet valve and selectively coupleable to the shaft. A valve rotation control structure includes a first movement control component on one of the coupling and the shaft. The valve rotation control structure is configured to permit the coupling or shaft to move parallel to the axis of the valve stem between a first locked position and a second rotatable position and to rotate about the axis of the valve stem between a first valve closed position and a second valve open position at the second rotatable position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application that claims prioritypursuant to Title 35 U.S.C. § 120 to U.S. application Ser. No.16/275,022, filed Feb. 13, 2019 entitled “Handle for Valve Assembly,”which in turn, claims priority to application Ser. No. 14/744,628, filedJun. 19, 2015, entitled “Handle for Valve Assembly,” which, in turn,claims priority, pursuant to Title 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/014,932, filed Jun. 20, 2014, andSer. No. 62/031,650, filed Jul. 31, 2014, both entitled “Handle forValve Assembly.” The entire content of the above-identified applicationsis hereby incorporated by reference herein, as if fully set forth.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to handles for valve assemblies forrailroad tank cars, and, more particularly, to a disconnectable handlefor use with bottom outlet valve assemblies used on railroad tank cars.

Railroad tank cars are used to transport material such as liquidsthrough railway systems. A railroad tank car typically includes a bottomoutlet valve assembly located on the underside of the car for unloadingthe transported materials. The bottom outlet valve assembly includes arotatable valve member that may be selectively moved between closed andopen positions to permit the discharge of the fluid from the tank car.Different types of rotatable valve members are used to control thedischarge of fluid from the tank car. One type of rotatable valve memberuses a rotatable ball mechanism. Other bottom outlet valve assembliesuse a rotatable butterfly valve or a plug-style valve.

In some instances, railroad car accidents have resulted in theaccidental opening of bottom outlet valves. Such accidental valveopenings have caused spillage of liquids from the tank cars which inturn has caused fires and caused environmental contamination. As aresult of such accidental openings, a desire has been created forsystems or mechanisms that will prevent or minimize the likelihood ofunintended or accidental opening of the valves.

The foregoing background discussion is intended solely to aid thereader. It is not intended to limit the innovations described herein,nor to limit or expand the prior art discussed. Thus, the foregoingdiscussion should not be taken to indicate that any particular elementof a prior system is unsuitable for use with the innovations describedherein, nor is it intended to indicate that any element is essential inimplementing the innovations described herein. The implementations andapplication of the innovations described herein are defined by theappended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one aspect, a handle assembly is provided for an outlet valve of atank car wherein the outlet valve has a valve stem rotatable about anaxis and is operative to open and close the outlet valve. The handleassembly includes a valve handle for manually opening the outlet valve,a rotatable shaft coupled to the handle, and a coupling coupled to theoutlet valve and selectively coupleable to the shaft. A valve rotationcontrol structure includes a first movement control component on thecoupling, with the valve rotation control structure being configured topermit the coupling to move parallel to the axis of the valve stembetween a first locked position and a second rotatable position and torotate about the axis of the valve stem between a first valve closedposition and a second valve open position at the second rotatableposition.

In another aspect, a handle assembly is provided for an outlet valve ofa tank car wherein the outlet valve has a valve stem rotatable about anaxis and is operative to open and close the outlet valve. The handleassembly includes a valve handle for manually opening the outlet valve,a rotatable shaft coupled to the handle, and a coupling coupled to theoutlet valve and selectively coupleable to the shaft. A valve rotationcontrol structure includes a first movement control component on theshaft, with the valve rotation control structure being configured topermit the shaft to move parallel to the axis of the valve stem betweena first locked position and a second rotatable position and to rotateabout the axis of the valve stem between a first valve closed positionand a second valve open position at the second rotatable position.

In still another aspect, a valve rotation control structure is providedfor controlling an outlet valve of a tank car wherein the outlet valvehas a valve stem rotatable about an axis and is operative to open andclose the outlet valve. The tank car has a valve handle for manuallyopening the outlet valve, a rotatable shaft coupled to the handle, and acoupling coupled to the outlet valve and selectively coupleable to theshaft. The valve rotation control structure includes movement controlrecess on one of the shaft and the coupling, a movement controlprojection on another of the shaft and the coupling with the movementcontrol projection being disposed within the movement control recess.The movement control recess and the movement control projection areconfigured to permit the shaft to move parallel to the axis of the valvestem between a first locked position and a second rotatable position andto rotate about the axis of the valve stem between a first valve closedposition and a second valve open position only at the second rotatableposition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of railroad tank car including a bottomoutlet valve and a valve handle assembly according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom outlet valve and a valvehandle assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a portion of the valve handleassembly with certain parts removed;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the valve handle assemblytogether with the bottom outlet valve of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bottom outlet valve and a portion ofthe valve handle assembly of FIG. 2 at a locked position and with thevalve closed;

FIG. 5A is an enlarged view of the encircled portion identified as 5A ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of the encircled portion identified as 5B ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 5C is a sectional view of the bottom outlet valve and valve handleassembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bottom outlet valve and a portion ofthe valve handle assembly similar to FIG. 6 but at a rotatable positionand with the valve closed;

FIG. 6A is an enlarged view of the encircled portion identified as 6A ofFIG. 6;

FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of the encircled portion identified as 6B ofFIG. 6;

FIG. 6C is a sectional view of the bottom outlet valve and valve handleassembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the bottom outlet valve and a portion ofthe valve handle assembly of FIG. 2 at a rotatable position and with thevalve open;

FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of the encircled portion identified as 7A ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of the encircled portion identified as 7B ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 7C is a sectional view of the bottom outlet valve and valve handleassembly of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a second embodiment of abottom outlet valve and portion of a valve handle assembly at a lockedposition and with the valve closed;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view similar to FIG. 8 but with thebottom outlet valve and valve handle assembly at a rotatable positionand with the valve closed;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view similar to FIG. 9 but from adifferent perspective and with the bottom outlet valve and valve handleassembly at a rotatable position and with the valve open;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a bottom outletvalve and a valve handle assembly at a locked position and with thevalve closed;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the valve handle assemblytogether with the bottom outlet valve of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged top plan view of a portion of the bottom outletvalve and the valve handle assembly with the handle removed;

FIG. 14 is a section taken generally along line 14-14 in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is an end view of the bottom outlet valve and the valve handleassembly with the handle removed;

FIG. 16 is a section taken generally along line 16-16 in FIG. 15

FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 12;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a bottom outletvalve and a valve handle assembly at a locked position and with thevalve closed; and

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of the valve handle assemblytogether with the bottom outlet valve of FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

A railroad tank car 10, equipped with a bottom outlet valve and a valvehandle assembly according to the present disclosure, is illustrated inFIG. 1. The railroad tank car 10 includes an elongated cylindrical tank11 for storing and transporting liquids as is known in the art. Thecylindrical tank 11 is mounted on a frame 12 supported by longitudinallyspaced wheeled trucks, generally designated 13, at opposite ends of thecar.

The upper portion 14 of the cylindrical tank 11 may have a hatch opening(not shown) sealed by a hatch cover 15 that provides access to theinterior of the cylindrical tank and for loading the tank, if desired.Valves (not shown) for loading and venting the cylindrical tank 11 mayalso be provided.

The bottom portion 16 of the cylindrical tank 11 is provided with anopening (not shown) at which a bottom outlet valve, generally designated20, is mounted for controlling the discharge of fluid from within thecylindrical tank. A skirt 17 may extend downward from the portion 16 ofthe cylindrical tank 11 to protect the bottom outlet valve 20. Openingand closing of the bottom outlet valve 20 is achieved by manuallymanipulating a valve handle assembly, generally designated 30,associated with the bottom outlet valve. The valve handle assembly 30may be mounted to the lower portion 16 of the cylindrical tank 11 withbrackets 115 and 120 (FIG. 2) that are secured to both the bottomportion of the cylindrical tank and the valve handle assembly.

The side from which a workman operates the bottom outlet valve 20 todischarge liquid from the tank car 10 is referred to as the near side ofthe car. The opposite side or the side remote from the user of theoutlet valve is referred to as the far side. For purposes of describingthe structure and operation of certain aspects of the bottom outletvalve 20 and the valve handle assembly 30 of the present disclosure,“inner” means toward the longitudinal center of the railroad tank car10. “Outer” means away from the longitudinal center of the railroad tankcar 10.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the bottom outlet valve 20 and the valvehandle assembly 30 are depicted in greater detail. Bottom outlet valve20 has a body 21 configured to be secured to the tank car 10 throughgenerally annular flange 22 at an upper surface of the body. Generallyannular flange 22 may have a plurality of spaced apart holes 23 throughwhich fasteners such as bolts (not shown) may pass to secure the bottomoutlet valve 20 to the tank car 10 in alignment with the opening (notshown) in the bottom portion 16 of the cylindrical tank 11.

Body 21 of valve 20 has a central bore 24 through which fluid from thecylindrical tank 11 may flow. Flow through the central bore 24 iscontrolled by a valve sealing mechanism configured schematically as avalve ball 25 (FIG. 5C). Bottom outlet valve 20 may be configured as anytype of desired outlet valve including ball valves, butterfly valves,and plug-style valves. The valve ball 25 (or other type of valve sealingmechanism) includes a valve stem 26 (FIG. 4) that extends through a bore27 (FIG. 5C) in the valve body 21 to control opening and closing of thevalve ball. Valve stem 26 is depicted with a generally circular crosssection having pair of oppositely facing flat surfaces 28 and a threadedbore 29. The shape and configuration of the valve stem 26 as well as itsdirection of rotation to open and close the valve ball 25 may changedepending on the manufacturer of the bottom outlet valve 20. Inaddition, while ball valves and butterfly valves open and close upon 90°of rotation, other valve assemblies may open and close upon 180° ofrotation.

The valve handle assembly 30 includes an elongated valve handle 31 thatmay be manually manipulated by a user or operator of the valve handleassembly to move the bottom outlet valve between the open and closedpositions. The valve handle 31 includes a rectangular bore 32 thatextends through the valve handle. A cylindrical bore 33 extendingthrough the valve handle 31 is generally perpendicular to and intersectswith the rectangular bore 32.

An extension shaft 40 extends from the valve handle 31 towards thebottom outlet valve 20. The extension shaft 40 may be configured as agenerally rectangular shaft with a first end 41 and a second end 42. Thefirst end 41 is dimensioned to fit within the rectangular bore 32 ofvalve handle 31. A cylindrical bore 43 extends through the first end 41and is aligned with cylindrical bore 33 of valve handle 31 uponinserting the extension shaft into rectangular bore 32. Cylindrical bore33 of valve handle 31 and cylindrical bore 43 of extension shaft 40 areeach dimensioned to receive valve handle bolt 100 therein to facilitatesecuring the valve handle to the extension shaft 40. Extension shaft 40further includes a cylindrical shaft guide bore 44 for receiving guidebolt 101 therein and a cylindrical locking bore 45 for receiving a shaftlocking pin 102 (FIG. 3) therein. If desired, the extension shaft 40 mayhave a different cross section (e.g., circular) rather than the squarecross section depicted. In such case, it may still be desirable for thefirst and second ends 41 and 42 to be formed with rectangular crosssections.

A support tube 50 in the form of an elongated cylindrical hollow tube orpipe is positioned between the valve handle 31 and the bottom outletvalve 20. The support tube 50 includes a first end 51 generally adjacentthe valve handle 31 and a second end 52 opposite the first end. Thesupport tube 50 is configured to permit extension shaft 40 to extendthrough and be rotatably mounted within the support tube. To that end,the support tube 50 includes an internal annular recess 59 (FIG. 5C)generally adjacent each of the first end 51 and the second end 52.

A shaft movement control slot 53 is positioned generally adjacent thefirst end 51 and interacts with the guide bolt 101 of extension shaft 40to control movement of the extension shaft 40 and thus valve handle 31as described in more detail below. The shaft movement control slot 53has an axial section 54 (FIG. 5B) that extends generally parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the support tube 50. The axial section 54 has afirst end 54 a and a second opposite end 54 b. A circumferential section55 extends from the second end 54 b of axial section 54 closer to thesecond end 52 of the support tube along the circumference of the supporttube 50.

The support tube 50 includes a pair of aligned cylindrical locking bores56 for receiving the shaft locking pin 102 therein. A plurality of drainholes 57 (FIG. 5C) may be provided in a lower surface of the supporttube 50 to provide drainage for water and other liquids that may enterthe support tube.

The extension shaft 40 and the support tube 50 may be made of steel orany other desired material.

A shaft bushing 110 is positioned within each annular recess 59 ofsupport tube 50 to engage and support the extension shaft 40 forrotation within the support tube. As depicted in FIG. 4, each shaftbushing 110 has a generally cylindrical outer surface 111 that engagesone of the internal annular recesses 59 of support tube 50 and agenerally rectangular inner bore 112 that engages the rectangular outersurface of extension shaft 40. The diameter of the outer surface 111 isslightly smaller than the diameter of the internal annular recesses 59of support tube 50 to permit rotation of the bushing 110 therein. Theinner bore 112 is dimensioned and configured to generally match thecross section of the extension shaft 40. Each bushing 110 may include aslot 113 extending between the outer surface 111 and the inner bore 112to permit the bushing to be temporarily deformed by reducing its outerdiameter to facilitate insertion of the bushing into the support tube50. During assembly, once the bushing 110 is inserted into one of theinternal annular recesses 59, the resilient nature of each bushingcauses it to spring back to its original shape which facilitatesretention of the bushing within its recess. In one embodiment, the shaftbushings 110 may be made of ultra high molecular weight polypropylene.Other materials and other types of bushings or other support memberssuch as bearings may also be used.

As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support tube 50 may be mounted to thebottom portion 16 of the cylindrical tank 11 with brackets 115 and 120.Bracket 115 is depicted as a generally rectangular bracket mountedsomewhat near the second end 52 of the support tube 50 and extendingbetween the support tube and the bottom portion 16 of the cylindricaltank 11. Bracket 120 is depicted as a V-shaped bracket with a plate 121mounted near the first end 51 of the support tube 50 and extends betweenthe support tube and the bottom portion 16 of the cylindrical tank 11.The brackets 115 and 120 may be secured to the bottom portion 16 of thecylindrical tank 11 and the support tube 50 by welding or any otherdesired manner. Brackets of other shapes and configurations arecontemplated and their configurations depend upon the configuration ofthe tank car 10.

V-shaped bracket 120 may include a U-shaped handle locking support 122(FIG. 3) that extends from plate 121 outward or in a direction away fromthe bottom outlet valve 20. The handle locking support 122 has an upperleg 123 that extends from the plate 121, a lower leg 124 spaced from andgenerally parallel to the upper leg 123, and a bight or curved section125 interconnecting the upper leg 123 and lower leg 124. The lower leg124 is dimensioned to be spaced from an outer surface 126 of the plate121 to form an opening or gap “A” between the outer surface 126 and aninner end 127 of the lower leg 124. An opening or gap “B” between theupper leg 123 and lower leg 124 is dimensioned to permit the valvehandle 31 to slide therein towards and away from the bottom outlet valve20 along a longitudinal or central axis 46 through the extension shaft40. The opening or gap “A” permits the valve handle to pass between theouter surface 126 of the plate 121 and inner end 127 of the lower leg124 as the valve handle 31 rotates about the axis 46. If desired, upperleg 123 may have an upper leg hole 128 and lower leg 124 may have alower leg hole 129 aligned with hole 128. Holes 128 and 129 areconfigured to receive shaft locking pin 103 therein to secure the valvehandle 31 between the upper leg 123 and lower leg 124 and prevent axialmovement of the valve handle and extension shaft 40.

Adapter or coupling 60 is operative to selectively interconnect thebottom outlet valve 20 and the extension shaft 40. The adapter 60includes a generally cylindrical body 61 with a first end 62 and asecond end 63 opposite the first end. The first end 62 of adapter 60includes a square bore or recess 64 dimensioned to slidingly receive thesecond end 42 of the extension shaft 40 therein. The square bore 64 mayinclude a tapered lead-in section 65 to facilitate insertion of thesecond end 42 of the extension shaft 40 into the rectangular bore. Aflange 66 may surround the lead-in section 65 to accommodate a largerchamfer in the lead-in section.

The second end 63 of the adapter 60 includes a bore or recess 67 (FIG.5C) configured to slidingly receive the valve stem 26. As a result, thebore 67 includes a generally circular cross section with a pair ofoppositely facing flat surfaces that match the pair of oppositely facingflat surfaces 28 of valve stem 26. The bore 67 is longer than the lengthof valve stem 26 so that the valve stem maintains contact with the boreas the adapter 60 slides relative to the bottom outlet valve 20. Astepped bore 70 extends between and connects the rectangular bore 64with the bore 67 and is configured to receive connecting bolt 104therein. A biasing member such as spring 105 is provided within bore 67and interacts with an outer surface of valve stem 26 and the innersurface of bore 67 to bias the adapter 60 away from the valve body 21. Acircular flange 71 is located adjacent the second end 63. Flange 71 hasa generally rectangular radial notch 72 therein.

Adapter 60 may be formed of any suitable material. In one embodiment,the adapter 60 may be formed of cast iron with the general configurationmade by casting and the details formed by subsequent machining. Inanother configuration, the adapter may be machined from round steel baror stock.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, a locking bracket 80 is provided thatinteracts with adapter 60 to operate as a valve rotation controlstructure that controls the rotation of the adapter and thus the openingand closing of the bottom outlet valve 20. Locking bracket 80 has anarcuate mounting section 81 with a plurality of spaced apart holes 82through which fasteners such as bolts (not shown) used to secure thebottom outlet valve 20 to the tank car 10 may pass. A generally planarhorizontal locking section 83 extends in a direction away from theflange 22 and has a notch 84 within which the circular flange 71 ofadapter 60 may rotate. A vertical section 85 connects the mountingsection 81 with the locking section 83. The length of vertical section85 may be configured based upon the configuration of body 21 of bottomoutlet valve 20. In other words, the location of the valve stem 26relative to flange 22 may be based upon the manufacturer of the bottomoutlet valve 20. As a result, the length of the vertical section 85 maybe set based upon the distance of the valve stem 26 from the flange 22.The locking bracket 80 may be made of any desired material such assteel.

Adapter 60 is secured to bottom outlet valve 20 by connecting bolt 104that extends through bore 67 in second end 63 of the adapter and into athreaded bore 29 in valve stem 26. Spring 105 biases the adapter 60 awayfrom the bottom outlet valve 20.

Adapter 60 is axially movable between a first operative locked position(valve closed) (FIGS. 5-5C) and a second operative rotatable position(valve closed) (FIGS. 6-6C) and is rotatably movable between the secondoperative rotatable position to a third operative rotatable position(valve open) (FIGS. 7-7C). At the first operative locked position, thesecond end 63 of the adapter 60 is spaced from the body 21 of the bottomoutlet valve 20. In such position, spring 105 may be compressed by afirst extent or amount or not compressed at all, if desired. The notch72 of radial flange 71 engages the locking section 83 to preventrotation of the valve stem 26 and thus prevents opening of the bottomoutlet valve 20.

At the second operative rotatable position, adapter 60 has been slidaxially towards body 21 of bottom outlet valve 20 so that radial flange71 of the adapter is aligned with the notch 84 of locking bracket 80. Insuch position, spring 105 is compressed by a second extent or amountwith the second extent being greater than the first extent ofcompression associated with the first operative position.

At the third operative rotatable position, adapter 60 has been rotatedwith the radial flange 71 of the adapter rotating within the notch 84 oflocking bracket 80. Spring 105 remains compressed at the second extentor amount of compression. The interaction of the notch 84 with theradial flange 71 prevents the adapter 60 from disengaging from the valvestem 26 (i.e., sliding away from body 21) until the bottom outlet valve20 is closed.

Operation of the bottom outlet valve 20 and the valve handle assembly 30is described below in more detail with reference to FIGS. 5-7. Referringfirst to FIGS. 5-5C, the bottom outlet valve 20 is in its closedposition and the valve handle assembly 30 and the adapter 60 are intheir locked positions. More specifically, adapter 60 is biased awayfrom the valve stem 26 by spring 105 which creates a gap “C” (FIG. 5C)between the second end 63 of the adapter and the body 21 of the bottomoutlet valve 20. In such a configuration, the notch 72 of the flange 71at the second end 63 of adapter 60 is aligned with and engages thelocking section 83 of locking bracket 80. In other words, the lockingsection 83 of locking bracket 80 is positioned within the notch 72 offlange 71 and the interference between the two components prevents therotation of adapter 60. Since the bore 67 at the second end 63 ofadapter 60 engages the valve stem 26, the interaction between theadapter 60 and the locking bracket 80 prevents rotation of the valvestem and thus maintains the bottom outlet valve 20 in its lockedposition.

Valve handle 31 and extension shaft 40 are positioned with the valvehandle in a horizontal position and the extension shaft 40 positioned inits outer position relative to the support tube 50. Rotation ofextension shaft 40 is prevented by the engagement of guide bolt 101 withthe axial section 54 of shaft movement control slot 53 of support tube50. Rotation of extension shaft 40 is further prevented by theengagement between valve handle 31 and lower leg 124 of handle lockingsupport 122.

The outer limit of the axial movement of the extension shaft 40 relativeto the support tube 50 is defined by the interaction between guide bolt101 and the first or outer end 54 a of axial section 54 of shaftmovement control slot 53 of support tube 50. As may be seen in FIGS. 5Aand 5C, the second end 42 of extension shaft 40 is spaced from the firstend 62 of adapter 60.

If desired, during transportation of the tank car, shaft locking pin 102may be inserted through locking bore 45 of extension shaft 40 and thelocking bores 56 of support tube 50. In addition, locking pin 103 mayalso be positioned through hole 128 in the upper leg 123 and hole 129 inlower leg 124 of handle locking support 122 so that the pin acts as anobstacle to prevent axial movement of the valve handle 31 and theextension shaft 40 along axis 46 and towards the bottom outlet valve 20.

Upon removing locking pins 102 and 103, the valve handle 31 andextension shaft 40 may be slid or moved along axis 46 towards the bottomoutlet valve 20 as depicted in FIGS. 6-6C. Upon doing so, the valvehandle 31 moves inwardly within the opening “B” (FIG. 3) between theupper leg 123 and the lower leg 124 of the handle locking support 122until the valve handle has moved far enough that the lower leg no longerblocks rotational movement of the valve handle. As the extension shaft40 moves towards the bottom outlet valve 20, the guide bolt 101 moveswithin the axial section 54 of the shaft movement control slot 53 fromthe first end 54 a of the axial section to the second end 54 b.Engagement of the bolt 101 with the second end 54 b of axial section 54of slot 53 prevents further inward movement of the extension shaft 40.

As may be best seen by comparing FIGS. 5C and 6C, inward movement ofextension shaft 40 within support tube 50 towards bottom outlet valve 20further results in the second end 42 of the extension shaft entering therectangular bore 64 at the first end 62 of adapter 60. The length of theaxial section 54 of slot 53 is greater than the depth of the bore 64 sothat continued movement of extension shaft 40 (subsequent to the secondend 42 of extension shaft 40 engaging the bottom of the bore 64 ofadapter 60) results in movement of adapter 60 along axis 46 towards thebottom outlet valve 20. The axial movement of the adapter 60 towards thebottom outlet valve 20 results in compression of spring 105 and movementof the notch 72 of flange 71 of the adapter 60 towards the bottom outletvalve until the flange 71 is aligned with and positioned within thenotch 84 of the locking section 83 of locking bracket 80. As a result ofthe alignment of the flange 71 of adapter 60 with the notch 84 oflocking bracket 80, the adapter 60 is able to rotate withoutinterference from the locking bracket 80. In addition, guide bolt 101 isaligned with the circumferential section 55 of shaft movement controlslot 53 so that the valve handle 31 and extension shaft 40 may rotaterelative to the support tube 50.

Clockwise rotation of the valve handles 31 and extension shaft 40 fromthe position depicted in FIG. 6 to that depicted in FIG. 7 results inopening of the bottom outlet valve 20. Upon doing so, the valve handle31 and the extension shaft 40 have been rotated 90° clockwise along axis46. The guide bolt 101 is at the end 55 a of circumferential section 55opposite the axial section 54 to define the limits of rotation of thevalve handle 31 and extension shaft 40. The rotation of the adapter 60is evident from the position of the notch 72 in the flange 71 adjacentthe bottom outlet valve 20 as best seen in FIG. 7B.

To close the bottom outlet valve 20, the sequence depicted in FIGS. 5-7is essentially reversed. The handle 31 and extension shaft 40 arerotated counterclockwise until the guide bole 101 is aligned with axialsection 54 of shaft movement control slot 53 and notch 72 of flange 71of adapter 60 is aligned with and positioned within the notch 84 of thelocking section 83 of the locking bracket 80. Such rotation causes theclosure of the bottom outlet valve 20.

The handle 31 and extension shaft 40 are slid axially away from thebottom outlet valve 20 and the biasing member or spring 105 movesadapter 60 axially away from the body 21 of the valve. The guide bolt101 slides within the axial section 54 of shaft movement control slot 53and the notch 72 of flange 71 slides along the locking section 83. Thehandle 31 may be positioned within the U-shaped handle locking support122, locking pin 102 inserted into hole 45 in extension shaft 40 andholes 56 in support tube 50, and locking pin 103 inserted into the holes128, 129 to prevent unintentional movement of the handle 31 andextension shaft 40 towards the adapter 60.

Due to the configuration and position of the shaft movement control slot53, the valve handle 31 and extension shaft 40 may only move linearlyalong axis 46 (i.e., may not rotate) until the valve handle andextension shaft have been moved sufficiently towards the bottom outletvalve 20 so that the locking pin 101 is aligned with the circumferentialsection 55 of shaft movement control slot 53. In addition, theengagement of the notch 72 of flange 71 of adapter 60 with the lockingbracket 80 also prevents rotation of the adapter 60 (and thus theopening of the bottom outlet valve 20) until the extension shaft 40 hasmoved sufficiently along axis 46 so that the flange 71 is aligned withthe notch 84 in the locking bracket. As a result, the interaction ofguide bolt 101 on extension shaft 40 with shaft movement control slot 53of support tube 50 defines a first valve rotation control structure andthe interaction of notch 72 of flange 71 of adapter 60 with the lockingbracket 80 defines a second valve rotation control structure that reduceor eliminate the risk of inadvertent opening of the bottom outlet valve20.

In addition, the present configuration also prevents the valve handle 31and extension shaft 40 from moving back to their closed positions asdepicted in FIGS. 2 and 5 while the bottom outlet valve 20 is open. Morespecifically, engagement of guide bolt 101 with the circumferentialsection 55 of shaft movement control slot 53 and flange 71 with notch 84in locking section 83 prevents axial movement of the valve handle 31,extension shaft 40, and adapter 60 away from the bottom outlet valve 20along axis 46 until the valve handle and extension shaft (and thusadapter 60) are rotated back to their closed positions. The structureensures that valve handle 31 and extension shaft 40 may only be movedback to their locked positions when the bottom outlet valve 20 isclosed.

FIGS. 8-10 depict an alternate embodiment of an adapter 160 and alocking bracket 180. Like reference numbers are used to describe likecomponents with respect to FIGS. 2-7 described above. Extension shaft140 and bottom outlet valve 150 are substantially identical to thosedescribed above except with respect to certain aspects described hereinand/or depicted in the drawings. For example, extension shaft 140 has agenerally circular cross section and first and second end sections (onlythe second of which is visible at 142) with square cross sections. Inaddition, as described below, the handle 31 and extension shaft 140 arerotated in a counter-clockwise direction to open bottom outlet valve 150as compared to the clockwise rotation to open bottom outlet valve 20.Accordingly, the circumferential section (not shown) of the shaftmovement control slot of the support tube of FIGS. 8-10 extends in adirection opposite that depicted in FIGS. 2-7 to permit such oppositerotation.

Bottom outlet valve 150 has a flange 152 with four spaced apart lobes155. Each lobe has a pair of pair of spaced apart holes 153 throughwhich fasteners such as bolts (not shown) may pass to secure the bottomoutlet valve 150 to the tank car 10. Holes 153 may be configured in thesame pattern as holes 23 of bottom outlet valve 20 and correspond to astandard hole pattern on tank cars 10.

Adapter or coupling 160 has a generally cylindrical body 161 with afirst end 162 and a second end 163 opposite the first end. Bore 164 atthe first end 162 of adapter 160 is generally square and configured toslidably receive and engage the second end 142 of extension shaft 140.The bore (not shown) in the second end 163 of adapter 160 is configuredto slidingly engage the valve stem 156 of bottom outlet valve 150 asdescribed above with respect to FIGS. 2-7.

It should be noted that the orientation of second end section 142 ofextension shaft 140 and bore 164 of adapter 160 are rotated 45° relativeto the second end 42 of extension shaft 40 and bore 67 of adapter 60depicted in FIGS. 2-7 when the bottom outlet valve 150 is closed. Ifdesired, the orientations of second end section 142 of extension shaft140 and bore 164 of adapter 160 could be similar to those depicted inFIGS. 2-7 or be configured in any other desired orientation providedthat the second end section 142 and bore 164 are aligned.

The outer cylindrical surface 165 of adapter 160 has an adapter movementcontrol slot 166 that is positioned generally adjacent the second end163 and interacts with the locking bracket 180 to control movement ofthe adapter and thus the valve stem 26 as described in more detailbelow. The adapter movement control slot 166 has an axial section 167and a circumferential section 168. The axial section 167 extendsgenerally parallel to the central axis of the adapter 160 and has afirst end 167 a that intersects with the second end 163 of adapter 160and a second end 167 b opposite the first end of the slot 166. Thecircumferential section 168 extends from the second end 167 b of theaxial section 167 into the surface 165 of the adapter 160. Thecircumferential section 168 has a first end 168 a that begins at thesecond end 167 b of the axial section 167 and a second end 168 b spacedfrom the first end.

A biasing member depicted as relatively large compression spring 205 ispositioned between the second end 163 of adapter 160 and valve body 151to bias the adapter away from the bottom outlet valve 150. If desired, arecess (not shown) may be provided in the face of the adapter 160 at thesecond end 163 to assist in positioning and retaining the spring 205. Itshould be noted that the spring 205 has a diameter substantially largerthan spring 105 depicted in the embodiment of FIGS. 2-7. The size andconfiguration of the biasing member may be chosen based upon the desiredperformance characteristics and the configuration of the adapter 60, 160and bottom outlet valve 150, as desired.

Locking bracket 180 has a mounting section 181 with spaced apart holes182 (FIG. 10) through which fasteners such as bolts 200 may be insertedto secure the locking bracket to a vertical face of the flange 152 ofthe bottom outlet valve 150. A generally horizontal extension section183 extends outward from the mounting section 181. A vertical lockingsection 184 extends downward from the outer end 185 of the extensionsection 183. A slot engaging tab or locking projection 186 extendsdownward from the locking section 184 and is configured to slidinglyengage the adapter movement control slot 166 to operate as a valverotation control structure that controls the axial and rotationalmovement of adapter 160 and thus the bottom outlet valve 150.

The operation of the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 8-10 is substantiallyidentical to that described above with respect to FIGS. 2-7.Accordingly, only the interaction of the extension shaft 140, theadapter 160 and the locking bracket 180 are described relative to theiroperation. As depicted in FIG. 8, the second end 142 of extension shaft140 is spaced from the first end 162 of adapter 160 while the valvehandle 31, the extension shaft 140, and the adapter 160 are in theirlocked position and the bottom outlet valve 150 is in its closedposition. The adapter 160 is spaced from the body 151 of the bottomoutlet valve 150 by the biasing force of spring 205 and the lockingprojection 186 is within the axial section 167 of adapter movementcontrol slot 166 between the first end 167 a and the second end 167 b ofthe axial section. The engagement of the locking projection 186 with theaxial section 167 of slot 166 prevents the adapter 160 from rotating andthe engagement of the bore (not shown) in the second end 163 of adapter160 with the valve stem 156 prevents the rotation of the valve stem andthe opening of bottom outlet valve 150.

Upon sliding the valve handle 31 and extension shaft 140 axially inwardtowards the bottom outlet valve 150 as depicted in FIG. 9, the extensionshaft slides through support tube 50 and the second end 142 of theextension shaft slides into the bore 164 at the first end 162 of theadapter 160. Continued axial movement of the valve handle 31 and theextension shaft 140 towards the bottom outlet valve 150 causes theadapter 160 to slide axially towards the bottom outlet valve so that thelocking projection 186 of the locking bracket 180 slides through theaxial section 167 of slot 166 until reaching the second end 167 b of theaxial section. During such sliding movement, the valve stem 156 slideswithin the bore in the second end 163 of adapter 160 in a manner similarto that described above with respect to FIGS. 2-7.

Upon reaching the second end 167 b of the axial section, the lockingprojection 186 is aligned with the circumferential section 168 ofadapter 160 and the adapter (and thus the valve stem 156 engagedthereby) are able to rotate counter-clockwise without interference fromthe projection. Extension shaft 140, shaft movement control slot 53,guide bolt 101, adapter 160, adapter movement control slot 166, andlocking projection 186 are all configured so that guide bolt 101 isaligned with circumferential section 55 of the shaft movement controlslot 53 when the locking projection 186 is aligned with thecircumferential section 168 of adapter movement control slot 166. As aresult, counter-clockwise rotation of the valve handle 31, extensionshaft 140, adapter 160 and valve stem 156 are only possible in the fullyaligned position.

FIG. 10 depicts the adapter 160 rotated counter-clockwise to its fullyopen position which also opens the valve stem 156 and the bottom outletvalve 150. Locking projection 186 is at the second end 168 b of thecircumferential section 168 of the adapter movement control slot 166.

Closing the bottom outlet valve 150 with the adapter 160 and the lockingbracket 180 of FIGS. 8-10 is substantially identical to that describedabove with respect to FIGS. 2-7 except that the rotation is clockwiserather than counter-clockwise. More specifically, since the guide bolt101 is positioned within the circumferential section 55 of the shaftmovement control slot 53 and the locking projection 186 of lockingbracket 180 is positioned within the circumferential section 168 of theadapter movement control slot 166, neither the valve handle 31, theextension shaft 140, nor the adapter 160 may move axially until theextension shaft 140 and the adapter 160 are rotated clockwise so thatthe guide bolt 101 is aligned with the axial section 54 of slot 53 andthe locking projection 186 is aligned with the axial section 167 of slot166.

Upon such alignment, the valve handle 31 and the extension shaft 140 mayslide along axis 46 outwardly or away from bottom outlet valve 150 withthe guide bolt 101 sliding within the axial section 54 of slot 53. Asthe extension shaft 140 slides axially away from the bottom outlet valve150 and the adapter 160, the biasing force from spring 205 causesadapter 160 to slide axially away from the bottom outlet valve. In doingso, locking projection 186 slides within axial section 167 of slot 166and locks the adapter 160 and thus valve stem 156 and the bottom outletvalve 150 in their closed positions.

Still another alternate embodiment of a valve handle assembly isdepicted generally as 220 in FIGS. 11-17. Bottom outlet valve 150 isgenerally identical to the bottom outlet valve depicted in FIGS. 8-10and the description thereof is not repeated herein. Like referencenumbers are used to designate like components. Bottom outlet valve 150includes a valve stem 156 (FIG. 12) operatively connected to the valvemechanism within the bottom outlet valve to facilitate opening andclosing of the valve. The valve stem 156 of bottom outlet valve 150 hasa pair of oppositely facing flat surfaces 157 and a locking bore 158extends through the valve stem between the flat surfaces 157.

A portion of a sidewall 210 of the skid plate or skirt 17 of FIG. 1 isdepicted in FIGS. 11-12. The sidewall 210 has a central bore 211 and aplurality of mounting bores 212 surrounding the central bore 211.Sidewall 210 is configured for mounting and supporting the valve handleassembly 220 thereon. By mounting the valve handle assembly 220 tosidewall 210, modifications to the tank car 10 may be limited to theskirt 17 and thus may reduce the complexity and time required to mountthe valve handle assembly to the tank car 10.

In addition, the embodiment of FIGS. 11-17 does not require brackets 115and 120 to be mounted to the tank car 17. Thus, in some situations, thevalve handle assembly 220 may simplify the installation process ascompared to the valve handle assembly 30. In other situations, such aswhen retro-fitting a tank car that has been used with petroleum or otherchemical products, it may be problematic or cost prohibitive to weldcomponents onto the tank car. Since the valve handle assembly 220 may bemounted using bolts rather than welding, the valve handle assembly ofFIGS. 11-17 may be particularly useful for retro-fit applications.

Valve handle assembly 220 includes a support member 230, an adapter 250,a travel control shaft 260, and a handle 31. Support member 230 includesa generally elongated cylindrical hollow tube or pipe 231 with a boltflange 232. Cylindrical tube 231 has an outer cylindrical surface 233, acentral bore 234, and an inner surface 235. Although outer surface 233is cylindrical, it may have any desired shape. A guide bore 236 extendsthrough one side of the cylindrical tube 231 between the outer surface233 and the inner surface 235 and intersects with a central axis 237 ofthe cylindrical tube 231.

A pair of locking bores 238 extend through the cylindrical tube 231 atpositions offset from the axis 237 of the cylindrical tube. As best seenin FIGS. 14-15, the locking bores 238 extend through the outer surface233 of cylindrical tube 231 at two locations with an axis 239 extendingthrough the locking bores being offset from axis 237 of the cylindricaltube.

The flange 232 has a plurality of mounting bores 240 configured in thesame pattern as the mounting bores 212 of sidewall 210 of skid plate 17of tank car 10. In some embodiments, a V-groove 245 may be provided inthe cylindrical tube 231 near the flange 232. The V-groove 245 acts asan area of reduced strength or stress concentration so that in case ofan accident, the support member 230 may break at the V-groove to releasethe travel control shaft and render the valve handle assembly 220inoperable and prevent inadvertent opening of the bottom outlet valve150.

Support member 230 may be formed of any suitable material. In oneembodiment, cylindrical tube 231 may be a steel tube or pipe and theflange 232 formed separately and joined to the cylindrical tube byutilizing complementary configured threads, by welding, or any otherdesired technique. In another embodiment, the cylindrical tube 231 andflange 232 may be formed of a one-piece, unitary member.

A guide pin 241 is permanently fixed in guide bore 236 and extends pastthe inner surface 235 and into the central bore 234 of the cylindricaltube 231. The guide pin 241 may be welded or press fit into the guidebore 236, may be threaded into guide bore 236, or permanently mountedtherein in any other desired manner.

A locking pin 242 is configured to be removably inserted into thelocking bores 238 to extend across a portion of the central bore 234 ofthe cylindrical tube 231. The locking pin 242 may include a chain 243 tosecure the locking pin to the tank car 10 and may include a lockingmechanism 244 to secure the locking pin within the locking bore 238.

Support member 230 may be mounted to the sidewall 210 with bolts 213that extend through mounting bores 212 of sidewall 210 and mountingbores 240 that extend through flange 232. Other manners of mountingsupport member 230 to the sidewall 210 are contemplated.

Adapter or coupling 250 has a generally cylindrical body 251 with afirst end 252 and a second end 253 opposite the first end. The first end252 has an engagement section 254 with a generally rectangularcross-section. The second end 253 has a bore or recess 255 (FIG. 16)corresponding in cross-section to that of the valve stem 156 of bottomoutlet valve 150 so that the valve stem may be slidingly receivedtherein. Thus, the bore 255 includes a generally circular cross-sectionwith a pair of oppositely facing flat surfaces that match the pair ofoppositely facing flat surfaces 157 of the valve stem 156. The adapter250 includes a locking bore 256 that extends through the outer surface257 and intersects with the bore 255 adjacent the second end 253 of theadapter. Upon mounting the adapter 250 on the valve stem 156, thelocking bore 256 of the adapter and the locking bore 158 of the valvestem 156 are aligned to permit a locking pin 290 to be press-fit throughthe bores 158, 256 to secure the adapter to the valve stem.

Adapter 250 may be formed of any suitable material. In one embodiment,the adapter 250 may be formed of cast iron with the generalconfiguration formed by the casting and details formed by subsequentmachining. In another configuration, the adapter 250 may be machinedfrom round steel bar or stock.

Travel control shaft 260 includes a generally cylindrical body 261 withan outer surface 262 and has a first end 263 and a second end 264opposite the first end. The first end 263 has a handle engagementsection 265 with a generally square cross-section and a cylindrical bore266 extending therethrough. The second end 264 has a square bore orrecess 267 (FIG. 16) dimensioned to slidingly receive the engagementsection 254 at the first end 252 of adapter 250 therein.

The outer surface 262 of travel control shaft 260 has a movement controlslot 270 that receives and interacts with the guide pin 241 of supportmember 230 to operate as a valve rotation control structure thatcontrols movement of the valve stem 156 (and thus bottom outlet valve150) as described in more detail below. Referring to FIG. 17, themovement control slot 270 has an axial section 271 and a circumferentialsection 272. The axial section 271 extends generally parallel to thecentral axis of the travel control shaft 260 and has a first end 273that begins at the handle engagement section 265 and a second end 274generally adjacent, but spaced from, the second end 264 of the travelcontrol shaft. The circumferential section 272 extends from anintersection or location 275 generally midway between the first end 273and the second end 274 of the axial section 271 along the outer surface262 of the travel control shaft 260. The circumferential section 272 hasa first end 276 that begins at the intersection 275 of the axial section271 and a second end 277 opposite the first end. The axial section 271and the circumferential section 272 are dimensioned to slidingly receivea portion of guide pin 241 therein.

The travel control shaft 260 may be formed of any suitable material. Inone embodiment, the travel control shaft 260 may be formed of cast-ironwith the general configuration formed by casting and the details formedby subsequent machining. In another configuration, the travel controlshaft 260 may be machined from round steel bar or stock.

Valve handle 31 is generally identical to that described above withrespect to FIGS. 2-7 and the description thereof is not included herein.Like reference numbers are used to designate like components. Squarebore 32 is dimensioned to slidingly receive the handle engagementsection 265 at the first end 263 of the travel control shaft 260.

During assembly, guide pin 241 is initially inserted into and securedwithin the guide bore 236 of cylindrical tube 231. Adapter 250 is slidonto the valve stem 156 and the bore 158 of the valve stem and bore 255of the adapter aligned. Locking pin 290 is press-fit through the alignedbores 158, 255 to secure the adapter 250 to the valve stem 156. Abiasing member such as compression spring 291 is positioned between andaligned with the first end 252 of adapter 250 and the bore 267 at thesecond end 264 of the travel control shaft 260 and the travel controlshaft 260 is slid onto the adapter 250.

Guide pin 241 is aligned with axial section 271 and the support member230 is slid onto the travel control shaft 260. Guide pin 241 extendsinto inner bore 234 of support member 230 a sufficient distance (and thetravel control shaft 260 is dimensioned) to permit the guide pin (whensecured within guide bore 236) to slide past the handle engagementsection 265 during assembly and still operatively engage the movementcontrol slot 270 during operation of the valve handle assembly 220.

Mounting bores 240 of flange 232 are aligned with mounting bores 212 ofsidewall 210 and bolts 213 are inserted through the aligned bores tosecure the flange 232 to the sidewall 210. Once the flange 232, and thussupport member 230, is mounted to sidewall 210, the handle engagementsection 265 at first end 263 of the travel control shaft 260 extends outfrom the central bore 234 of the cylindrical tube 231 of support member230. The square bore 32 of valve handle 31 is aligned with and mountedon the handle engagement section 265 of the first end 263 of the travelcontrol shaft 260 with the bore 33 of the valve handle 31 aligned withthe bore 266 of the handle engagement section. Valve handle 31 issecured to the travel control shaft 260 by inserting valve handle bolt100 through the bore 33 of the valve handle and bore 266 of the travelcontrol shaft.

When the bottom outlet valve 150 is closed and the valve handle assembly220 is locked as depicted in the drawings, the guide pin 241 ispositioned generally adjacent the second end 274 of the axial section271 of the movement control slot 270 and rotation of the valve handle 31and travel control shaft 260 is prevented by the engagement of sidewallsof the axial slot with the guide pin. In other words, since the guidepin 241 is not aligned with the circumferential section 272, rotation ofthe handle 31 and travel control shaft 260 is prevented.

Referring to FIG. 14, the engagement section 254 of the first end 252 ofadapter 250 is aligned with the locking bores 238 of support member 230so that the axis 239 through the locking bores is adjacent one sidewall258 of the engagement section. By inserting locking pin 242 through thelocking bores 238, a portion of the locking pin extends across thesidewall 258 of the engagement section 254. Since the adapter 250 isfixed to the valve stem 156, the locking pin 242 prevents rotation ofboth the adapter and the valve stem.

Still further, the locking pin 242 prevents axial movement of travelcontrol shaft 260 towards adapter 250. As a result, the travel controlshaft 260 may not operatively engage the adapter 250 nor may the guidepin 241 become aligned with the circumferential section 272 of themovement control slot 270.

As stated above, one of the sidewalls 258 of engagement section 254 ofthe adapter 250 is aligned with the bores 238 of support member 230 whenthe valve handle assembly 220 is in its locked position. Since theconfiguration of the valve stem 156 may change depending on themanufacturer of the bottom outlet valve 150, the bore 255 at the secondend 253 of the adapter 250 may change in configuration and positionbased upon the configuration of the valve stem. If the bores 238 of thesupport member 230 are vertically aligned, one of the sidewalls 258 mayremain vertical to engage the locking pin 242. If the sidewalls 258 arepositioned in another orientation, the position of the bores 238 may besimilarly re-positioned so that the locking pin 242 continues to engageone of the sidewalls when the pin is inserted.

To open the bottom outlet valve 150, locking pin 242 is removed from thelocking bores 238. Valve handle 31, and thus travel control shaft 260,is slid towards the bottom outlet valve 150 so that the guide pin 241slides along the axial section 271 of the movement control slot 270 fromgenerally adjacent the second end 274 until the guide pin is alignedwith the circumferential section 272. Valve handle 31 may then berotated clockwise while the guide pin 241 slides along thecircumferential section 272 towards the second end 277 of the slot toopen the bottom outlet valve 150. The valve handle assembly 220, andthus bottom outlet valve 150, remain in their open positions due to theguide pin 241 engaging circumferential section 272.

To close the bottom outlet valve 150, the handle 31 is rotatedcounterclockwise until the guide pin 241 is aligned with the axialsection 271 of the movement control slot 270. The handle 31 and travelcontrol shaft 260 are moved axially away from the adapter 250 with theguide pin 241 sliding along the axial section 271 of the movementcontrol slot 270 towards the second end 274 until reaching the secondend. The biasing member or spring 291 may be sufficient to axially movethe handle 31 and travel control shaft 260. The locking pin 242 is theninserted into the locking bore 238 in the cylindrical tube 231 toprevent unintentional rotation of the adapter 250 and valve stem 156,unintentional movement of the handle 31 and travel control shaft 260towards the adapter 250, and to prevent the unintentional alignment ofthe guide pin 241 with the circumferential section 272 of movementcontrol slot 270.

A further alternate embodiment of a valve handle assembly is depictedgenerally as 320 in FIGS. 18-19. Bottom outlet valve 150 is generallysimilar to the bottom outlet valve depicted in FIGS. 8-10. Likereference numbers are used to designate like components and thedescriptions thereof are not repeated. It should be noted that theportion of the sidewall 210 of the skid plate or skirt 17 depicted inFIGS. 11-12 is omitted from FIGS. 18-19 for clarity.

Valve handle assembly 320 includes a support member 330, an adapter 250,a travel control shaft 360, and a handle 31. Support member 330 includesa generally elongated cylindrical hollow tube or pipe 331 secured to amounting plate 332. The cylindrical tube 331 may be generally identicalto the cylindrical tube 231 described above. As depicted, however, thecylindrical tube 331 has a pair of locking bores 338 (only one beingvisible in FIGS. 18-19) oriented so that the locking pin 242 may beinserted through the locking bores 338 in a horizontal manner. Inaddition, the locking bores 338 are located closer to valve stem 156than V-groove 345 so that if the support member 330 breaks along theV-groove, the locking pin 242 may continue to engage a flat surface ofsidewall 258 of the engagement section 254 of adapter 250 to preventrotation of the adapter and the valve stem.

As depicted, mounting plate 332 has a generally planar base 333 and apair of curved end sections 334 to space the base 333 from the sidewall210 of the skid plate 17. The mounting plate 332 may be secured to thesidewall 210 by welding the curved end sections 334 to the sidewall. Inanother embodiment, the curved end sections 334 may be omitted. In stillanother embodiment, the sidewall 210 and the mounting plate 332 may havea plurality of holes so that the mounting plate 332 may be mounted tothe sidewall 210 with bolts as depicted with respect to the embodimentof FIGS. 11-17.

Mounting plate 332 may have a U-shaped handle locking support 122secured thereto that is generally identical to that described above withrespect to FIGS. 2-7. As depicted, the handle locking support 122further includes a spring clip 325 to limit movement of the handle 31when it is secured by the handle locking support.

Adapter 250 may be generally identical to the adapter described abovewith respect to FIGS. 11-17. In addition, the adapter 250 may furtherinclude a position indicator pin 351 to provide a visual indicator ofthe position of the valve stem 156 and thus the status of the bottomoutlet valve 150.

Travel control shaft 360 is similar to travel control shaft 260 butincludes a modified movement control slot 370. The travel control shaft360 includes a generally cylindrical body 361 with an outer surface 362and has a first end 363 and a second end 364 opposite the first end. Thefirst end 363 has a handle engagement section 365 with a generallysquare cross-section configured for insertion into bore 32 in handle 31and a threaded bore 366 extending into the end face of the first end.

The outer surface 362 of travel control shaft 360 has a movement controlslot 370 that interacts with the guide bolt 341 of support member 330 tocontrol movement of the valve stem 156. The movement control slot 370has an axial section 371 and a circumferential section 372. The axialsection 371 extends generally parallel to the central axis of the travelcontrol shaft 360 and has a first end 373 that begins generally at themiddle of the travel control shaft 360 and a second end 374 generallyadjacent, but spaced from, the second end 364 of the travel controlshaft.

The circumferential section 372 extends from the first end 373 of theaxial section 371 along the outer surface 362 of the travel controlshaft 360. The circumferential section 372 has a first end 376 thatbegins at the axial section 371 and a second end 377 opposite the firstend. The axial section 371 and the circumferential section 372 aredimensioned to slidingly receive a portion of guide bolt 341 therein.

If desired, a cylindrical shaft bushing 380 may be positioned within thecylindrical tube 331 to receive the travel control shaft 360 therein andsupport the shaft for rotation within the cylindrical tube. The bushing380 may include a bore 381 through which the guide pin 241 extends. Itshould be noted that the embodiment of FIGS. 18-19 does not include thespring 291 of FIGS. 11-17 and thus there is no biasing force to bias thetravel control shaft 360 away from the adapter 250. If desired, thevalve handle assembly 320 could include such a spring.

Operation of the valve handle assembly 320 is generally identical to theoperation of valve handle assembly 220 except with respect to theadditional operations relative to the U-shaped handle locking support122. Inasmuch as the operation of handle 31 relative to the handlelocking support 122 is described above with respect to FIGS. 2-7 and theoperation of valve handle assembly 220 is described above with respectto FIGS. 11-17, the operation of valve handle assembly 320 is notrepeated herein.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing description provides examplesof the disclosed system and technique. All references to the disclosureor examples thereof are intended to reference the particular examplebeing discussed at that point and are not intended to imply anylimitation as to the scope of the disclosure more generally. Alllanguage of distinction and disparagement with respect to certainfeatures is intended to indicate a lack of preference for thosefeatures, but not to exclude such from the scope of the disclosureentirely unless otherwise indicated.

Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as ashorthand method of referring individually to each separate valuefalling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and eachseparate value is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. All methods described herein can beperformed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context.

Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalentsof the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permittedby applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-describedelements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by thedisclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context.

1. A handle assembly for an outlet valve of a tank car, the outlet valvehaving a rotatable valve stem operative to open and close the outletvalve, said handle assembly comprising: a valve handle for rotating theoutlet valve stem; an axially movable and rotatable shaft extending fromsaid valve handle; said shaft supported in a support member for axialand rotational movement; a shaft rotation control structure configuredto permit the shaft to move axially between shaft non-rotatable positionand a shaft rotatable position and to rotate between a valve closedposition and a valve open position when the shaft is in said shaftrotatable position, and wherein said shaft rotation control structureincludes a movement control slot having an axial section and acircumferential section in one of said shaft and support member and theother of said shaft and support member includes a guide disposed withinsaid movement control slot, said guide disposed in said axial section ofsaid movement control slot when the shaft is in said shaft non-rotatableposition and disposed in said circumferential section when said shaft isin said shaft rotatable position, and wherein said shaft is coupled tothe valve stem when said shaft is in said shaft rotatable position.
 2. Ahandle assembly for an outlet valve of a tank car as claimed in claim 1,wherein said guide is on said support member and said slot is on saidrotatable shaft.
 3. A handle assembly for an outlet valve of a tank caras claimed in claim 1, wherein said guide is on said rotatable shaft andsaid slot is on said support member.
 4. A handle assembly for an outletvalve of a tank car as claimed in claim 2, wherein said handle assemblyincludes a coupling on the valve stem of the outlet valve and an end ofsaid rotatable shaft is operatively engaged with said coupling when saidshaft is in said shaft rotatable position, and wherein the end of saidrotatable shaft is disengaged from said coupling when said shaft is insaid shaft non-rotatable position.
 5. A handle assembly for an outletvalve of a tank car as claimed in claim 3, wherein said handle assemblyincludes a coupling on the valve stem of the outlet valve and an end ofsaid rotatable shaft is operatively engaged with said coupling when saidshaft is in said shaft rotatable position, and wherein the end of saidrotatable shaft is disengaged from said coupling when said shaft is insaid shaft non-rotatable position.
 6. The handle assembly for an outletvalve of a tank car as claimed in claim 5, wherein said couplingrotatably connected to the outlet valve stem includes a bore to slidablyreceive an end of said rotatable shaft and said rotatable shaft includesan end insertable into said bore in said coupling and said end of saidrotatable shaft is received in said bore of said coupling when saidshaft is in said shaft rotatable position.
 7. A handle assembly for anoutlet valve of a tank car as claimed in claim 5, wherein said assemblyincludes a locking mechanism to releasably fix said coupling againstrotation, when the outlet valve is in the valve closed position.
 8. Ahandle assembly for an outlet valve of a tank car as claimed in claim 7,wherein said assembly includes a locking mechanism to releasably locksaid axially movable and rotatable shaft against axial and rotatablemovement, when the outlet valve is in the valve closed position.
 9. Therotation control structure for an outlet valve of a tank car as claimedin claim 8, wherein said support member includes aligned locking boresto receive a lock pin, and wherein said shaft includes a locking bore,and said lock pin is insertable through said locking bores in saidsupport member and said shaft when said guide is in said axial section.10. A handle assembly for an outlet valve of a tank car as claimed inclaim 8, wherein said assembly includes a locking mechanism toreleasably lock said handle when said end of said shaft is disengagedfrom said coupling.
 11. A handle assembly for an outlet valve of a tankcar as claimed in claim 7, wherein said locking mechanism includes aremovable locking pin.
 12. A handle assembly for an outlet valve of atank car as claimed in claim 8, wherein said locking mechanism includesa removable locking pin.
 13. A handle assembly for an outlet valve of atank car as claimed in claim 10, wherein said locking mechanism includesa removable locking pin.
 14. The handle assembly for an outlet valve ofa tank car as claimed in claim 1, wherein said handle assembly includesa breakage groove in one of said support member and shaft.
 15. A methodof operating an outlet valve of a tank car valve having a rotatablevalve stem operative to position the valve between a valve open and avalve closed position with a handle assembly having a valve handle forrotating the outlet valve stem; an axially movable and rotatable shaftextending from said valve handle; said shaft supported in a supportmember for axial and rotational movement; a shaft rotation controlstructure configured to permit the shaft to move axially between shaftnon-rotatable position and a shaft rotatable position and to rotatebetween a valve closed position and a valve open position when the shaftis in said shaft rotatable position, and wherein said shaft rotationcontrol structure includes a movement control slot having an axialsection and a circumferential section in one of said shaft and supportmember and the other of said shaft and support member includes a guidedisposed within said movement control slot, said guide being disposed insaid axial section of said movement control slot when the shaft is inthe shaft non-rotatable position and disposed in said circumferentialsection when said shaft is in said shaft rotatable position, and whereinsaid shaft is coupled to the valve stem when said shaft is in said shaftrotatable position, the steps comprising: axially moving said axiallymovable and rotatable shaft from said shaft non-rotatable position tosaid shaft rotatable position, rotating said shaft to move said valvefrom said valve closed position to said valve open position.
 16. Amethod of operating an outlet valve of a tank car as claimed in claim15, wherein said handle assembly further includes a coupling on thevalve stem of the outlet valve and an end of said rotatable shaft isoperatively engaged with said coupling when said shaft is in said shaftrotatable position, and wherein the end of said rotatable shaft isdisengaged from said shaft when said shaft is in said shaftnon-rotatable position, the steps further comprising: moving saidrotatable shaft from said shaft rotatable position to said shaftnon-rotatable position and disengaging said end of said rotatable shaftfrom said coupling.
 17. A method of operating an outlet valve of a tankcar as claimed in claim 16, wherein said assembly further includes: alocking mechanism to releasably fix said coupling against rotation, anda locking mechanism to releasably lock said axially movable androtatable shaft against axial and rotatable movement, the stepscomprising: releasing said locking mechanisms prior to moving saidrotatable shaft to said shaft rotatable position.
 18. A method ofoperating an outlet valve of a tank car as claimed in claim 17, whereinsaid locking mechanisms comprise removable locking pins, the stepsfurther comprising: removing said locking pins prior to moving saidrotatable shaft to said shaft rotatable position, and reinserting saidlocking pins after returning said shaft to said shaft non-rotatableposition.
 19. A rotation control structure for an outlet valve of a tankcar, the outlet valve having a rotatable stem operative to open andclose the outlet valve, a handle for manually operating the outletvalve, a shaft on said handle, a support member supporting said shaftfor axial and rotatable movement relative to said support member, saidrotation control structure comprising: a movement control slot on one ofsaid shaft and support member; a movement control guide on the othersaid shaft and support member, said movement control guide disposedwithin said movement control slot; and said movement control slotconfigured to permit said shaft to move axially between a shaftnon-rotatable position and a shaft rotatable position and to rotaterelative to said support member between a valve closed position and avalve open position only at said shaft rotatable position, and whereinsaid shaft is coupled to said valve stem when said shaft is in saidshaft rotatable position.
 20. The rotation control structure for anoutlet valve of a tank car as claimed in claim 19, wherein said movementcontrol slot is in said support member and includes an axial section, acircumferential section, and wherein said guide is on said shaft and iswithin said axial section of said movement control slot when the valveis in the valve closed position and in said circumferential section whensaid valve is in said valve open position.